2006 Darwin Awards

Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of
evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene
pool by removing themselves from it.

Modern Armor
2006 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

(26 August 2006, Leicester, England) Darren's death was a mystery. The
33-year-old was found slumped in the hallway of his house, bleeding from
stab wounds to his chest. Police initially assumed that an assailant had
attacked him, but they could find no supporting evidence. A year later,
the inquest revealed why Darren can stake his claim to a place among the
winners of the Darwin Award.

Darren had called a friend, but minutes after he hung up, rang back to ask
for an ambulance. The front door was ajar, and Darren was found lying near
a bloodstained lock-knife he had purchased whilst on holiday in Spain.
Forensics investigators saw no indication of a struggle, and the coroner
reported that the stab wounds seemed to be self-inflicted. However, Darren
had shown no suicidal tendencies.

His wife, who was on holiday at the time of the incident, cleared up
the mystery, and revealed why our subject will go down in history as a
Darwin Award winner. As she was leaving for the holiday, she remembered
Darren wondering whether his new jacket was 'stab-proof'.

That's right. Darren decided to find out if his jacket could withstand
a knife attack. Did he choose to test his jacket while it was draped over
the back of a chair? No, our man thought that the best approach would be
to wear the garment and stab himself. Sadly, his choice of armor proved
less resistant to a sharp blade than he had hoped.